title: Assessment of mutations of Ha- and Ki-ras oncogenes and the p53 suppressor gene in seven malignant mesothelioma patients exposed to asbestos--PCR-SSCP and sequencing analyses of paraffin-embedded primary tumors.
abstract: To examine whether malignant mesothelioma due to asbestos has genetic alterations in the Ha- and Ki-ras oncogenes or in the p53 suppressor gene, we analyzed the point mutations of these genes in paraffin-embedded autopsy samples of the primary tumors of malignant mesothelioma in seven asbestos patients who died from malignant mesothelioma. The genetic analysis was conducted by the polymerase chain reaction-single strand comformation polymorphysms (PCR-SSCP) method in all patients, and through the sequencing of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) bases in one patient. No genetic alterations were found in exons 1 or 2 of Ha- and Ki-ras oncogenes, or in exons 5 to 9 of the p53 gene, in any of the patients. Further studies on a larger number of patients are required to reach a definite conclusion concerning the genetic effects of asbestos on malignant mesothelioma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kitamura
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Araki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanigawa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miura
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akabane
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Iwasaki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001194:Asbestos / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003062:Codon / Q000235:genetics; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D017931:DNA Primers; D005260:Female; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor / Q000235:genetics; D016158:Genes, p53 / Q000235:genetics*; D011905:Genes, ras / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000235:genetics*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009857:Oncogenes / Q000235:genetics; D017354:Point Mutation; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D003062:Codon; D017931:DNA Primers; D001194:Asbestos